Patna: The seventh edition of the Patna Mind Fest (PMF) began on Saturday at Bihar Museum with a competitive and high-spirited India Quiz, where an inter-city team comprising Calvin, Baibaswata and Anand emerged victorious. The two-day intellectual event drew over 1,500 participants from across the state and beyond.
The team of Piyush Kedia and Samanvay Banerjee secured second place, while the trio of Arunoday Choudhary, Nikhil Sarkar and Shashvat Chakraborty took third.
In the college category, the top honours went to Soham, Utpal and Aman of IGIMS. Meanwhile, the school category was led by the team of Harshil Sagar, Kushagra Kishan and Utkarsh Arya from DPS, Patna.
Competitions in Word Bee — featuring 144 teams — and creative writing in both Hindi and English — involving 160 individual participants — were ongoing at the time of reporting. Final results will be declared on Sunday.
The festival, divided into open, college and school categories, allows participants to compete solo or in teams of up to three members. Since its inception in 2018, PMF has aimed to celebrate Bihar’s educational heritage and promote a culture of curiosity and intellectual engagement. The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Addressing the inauguration, Rachna Patil, Secretary of the General Administration Department, said the fest offers a creative and high-quality experience for both participants and the audience. RERA Chairman Vivek Kumar Singh welcomed the attendees and noted PMF’s growing significance in Patna’s cultural calendar, crediting it for inspiring similar initiatives in cities such as Darbhanga and Purnia.
Chief guest R.U. Singh, retired IAS officer, expressed delight at the enthusiasm displayed by students and the public alike.
The final day of PMF 2025 will feature cryptic crossword and general quiz competitions, wrapping up what organisers hope will be yet another successful edition of the city’s flagship intellectual event.
